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Monthly Archives: November 2013

My first encounter with QUINOA was only few years ago. Before that, I never heard of it.

My Peruvian friend told me that it has been around for centuries, and I thought of myself, what a goose!

When I googled QUINOA, I found out that it is a whole protein and is packed with dietary fiber, iron, magnesium and phosphorus. This grain is gluten-free and has seen an increase in popularity in gluten-free diets. So gifted!

-Quinoa and I can sure be pals.

And all of a sudden, every restaurant I know has a quinoa recipe on his menu, and every Lebanese recipe has been exposed to the Quinoa factor; Tabouleh with quinoa, Falafel Quinoa, Zucchini stuffed with quinoa, Halloumi quinoa salad and many more.

Ever since, I geared up and Quinoa became a staple in my pantry.

One of my favorite Quinoa recipes that I’d like to share today, as it’s also going on my Christmas menu this year, is Quinoa and Chickpea Salad. And here how I make it!

May I just start by saying you’re not going to mess this up! This quiche will definitely make it to my Christmas table this year as part of the starters menu; It’s a star dish. I don’t remember how our love story started but I confess an affair. Classy, sexy, elegant, and yes I’m still talking about the quiche, it’s one of my favorite of all time.

The tomatoes become flavorful once roasted. So please do not skip this step. You will love love love the contrasting tastes of the sweet roasted tomatoes, piquant balsamic vinegar and tangy Feta cheese. You may also need to check the tomatoes while cooking because the time of roasting may vary depending on their ripeness and the oven temperature. Use any aromatic available herbs while roasting; oregano, rosemary, basil or bay leaves. Make sure that you strain the tomatoes before you top the puff pastry, or you will end up with a mushy crust.

Many friends have requested this recipe, I’m so happy to finally publish it and with a worthy picture of it. Enjoy it!

Ingredients:

1 (230g) puff pastry

800g (around 60 pieces) cherry tomatoes, cut in 2

Oregano (or basil), to sprinkle

200g Feta cheese, diced

1 cup fresh thyme leaves, washed and picked

4 tbsp Olive oil

2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 tbsp Honey

Sea salt and fresh black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Place the cherry tomatoes in a shallow roasting pan, (choose a large pan, where tomatoes are not too crowded), sprinkle with salt, coarsely fresh pepper, oregano and drizzle with olive oil. Transfer to a pre-heated oven and roast for about 20mn or until they are wilted and the skin starts to wrinkle. Transfer to a colander to drain.

2. Meantime, roll out dough on floured surface and transfer to a rectangular (12cm x 35cm) tart pan. It is also possible to make the quiche in a round tart pan. Pierce crust all over with fork.

3. Top crust with Feta, thyme and tomatoes. Combine balsamic vinegar, sugar and olive oil. Whisk vigorously and stir over the tomatoes.

4. Bake quiche in the middle of the oven, for about 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden. Transfer to rack; Cool 10 minutes.

I want to share this recipe on my blog for the sake of its amazing taste. The outcome is lush and moist muffins. They are by far the easiest to make and super healthy. It uses, whole-wheat flour, All-Bran cereals, skimmed milk and a tiny amount of butter. Children relish them. I baked a dozen of Banana muffins today and their aroma permeated my kitchen. Mmmmm!

My conscience

-Wake up!! (snapping fingers)

I have to confess that as a food stylist I have to be embarrassed of how those muffins look like. They don’t rise like other do and the texture is a little lumpy. Well let’s say it’s more authentic like that:) But I do promise you a flavorful snack/breakfast, not too sweet but truly delectable.

Banana Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup All-Bran® cereals

1 ½ cup skimmed Milk, at room temperature

1 cup Whole-Wheat Flour

Pinch of Salt

1 tsp Baking Powder

½ stick / 50gm Butter

¼ cup brown Sugar

1 tsp Honey

1 Egg, lightly beaten

2 ripe Bananas, mashed

½ cup Raisins

Preparation

Pre-heat oven to 180ºC

Soak All-Bran cereals in milk for about 10mn.

Mix flour, salt, baking powder.

Cream sugar and butter. Add Honey and egg. Mix well.

Stir in the soaked milk gradually alternating with the flour mixture.

Fold in the bananas and the raisins.

Divide the batter into the muffin cases and bake for 20-25 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes and remove from pan to a wire rack to cool entirely.

Photography

All the food pictures on my site are taken by my husband Serge Oryan, unless I mention differently. If you’re interested in buying any of the photos, please don’t hesitate to contact me for pricing and high-resolution files. maya@mayaoryan.com